Successes since my last post:
1. the jalapeno seed sprouted! that made me very happy. I planted two more and am patiently waiting for them to emerge.
2. I put together the toilet paper tube seed starters. I'm still waiting for the tomato seeds I planted in them to sprout.
3. I started the potato bucket. So far, there doesn't seem to be a lot of action in there, but I'm trying to be patient.
4. I threw out the old dead bell pepper plant in the earthbox and planted a few seeds that will hopefully sprout soon.
5. Taylor's strawberry plant has a fruit! I think we should eat it TODAY.
6. FOUR new cherry tomatoes developing on my refugee tomato plant.
7. The okra plant has little things coming out of it that, I hope, are little infant okras.

Troubles:
1. It's been very windy up here lately, and I worry about the plants getting blown around so much. The taro plant has a split leaf, and the basil looks like it could be uprooted if a really forceful gust came along. This is also troubling, because my plans for expansion involve moving plants around to the ewa side of the balcony, but it gets particularly windy over there. I hate to think that whole area will be unusable...
2. aphids or something on the basil plants and the baby swiss chard. I have an organic spray, but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I feel like I should get rid of the baby swiss chard already and start something new in that pot.
3. I'm impatient! I want my seeds to sprout.

next time, for real for real, I will have made progress on the compost.